reagan



E. U. G. ENGINE 0R COMPRESSOR. APPLICATiON FILED JUNE 26, I918.

REAGAN.

Patented Dec. 30,1919.

3 SHEETSS!:IEET 2.

E. U. G. REAGAN.

ENGINE 0R COMPRESSOR.

APYLICATION FILED JUNE 26,1919.

Patented Dec. 30,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 nwwiloz fdjar U. G fieagan, 53513 W UNITED STATES PATENT ca m 'nnean U. G. nEAGAiv, or nn'rnorr, MICHIGAN; nssienon 'ro nnrnorr s rnnm Morons CORPORATION, orj nn'mo r,

To all whom it may-concern:

the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference primarily to a steam engine, although certaln of its features are ap licable to compressors,

and to engines of t e internalcombustion type.

The invention aims to provide an unusually short compact construction whereby stress may be efiiciently transmitted between a series of parallel pistons and an engine shaft" about which they are spaced; it is also concerned with certain valves and valve operating mechanism for distributing the fluid to and permitting its dischargefrom the cylinders. I

More specifically, one feature of the invention resides in a spider or equivalent construction rotatably mounted on a block or the like fixed to the main shaft and having its axis inclined in respect thereto, said splder having power transmitting arms positioned in the plane of the spider and swingable in said plane, whereby the block and shaft are driven by reaction or whereby the shaft may be utilized to reciprocate the pistons as for pumping.

It also consists in a slotted sleeve construction for turning the disk valve with which the device is equipped angularly about the main shaft for reversing the engine; also in mechanism forinterconnecting a pair of slotted sleeves or the like whereby two valves for serving oppositely disposed sets of cylinders are actuated in unison.

The invention also consists in various other details of construction shown, described and claimed.

In the drawings, "Figure 1 is a side view showing a preferred embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section corresponding to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the slotted sleeves for controlling the valves, and Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4.4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6. is a view showing theseveral parts Whereby the crank arms are mounted on the shaft. Figs. 7 and 8 are side and plan views, re-

Rn' Specification of Letters Patent.

MICHIGAN, ACORPORATIQN 0F MICIHII GAN.

ENGINE on comrnnsson.

Patented Demg 121%.2.

I Application filed June 26, 1918. Serial No. 242,126.

spectively, of the piston-constructions. Fig 9 is an enlarged section howing the mount-' ing of the crank arms in the annular ring. Fig. 10 is a view of one of the cranks, look- 1 ing from the left in? Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is an end view of one of the valves, and Fig.12

' is a section on the line l2-12.thereof.

1 designates a pair of fixed heads bored out in their inner surface to receive the tubular cylinders 2 against which they are clamped by the bolts 3. Eight cylinders are shown but the number may be varied.

Each of these cylinders receives a pair of opposed pistons A.- rigidly connected to one p another and carrying the hardened tubular. bushings 5 within which thebearing blocks 6 are positioned. The blocks'are slidable in and out in the bushings, and .have seats adapted to conform to the spherical surfaces of the heads 8 of the T-shaped'crank or spider arms 9. V 1 Theseseveral arms are mounted in an an nular spider or crank support 10'externally grooved at 11, (Fig. 6) each mounting be- 4 ing preferably formed by the pin 12 upon which the corresponding arm has limited axial movement, the extent being determined by providing clearance between the end faces 13 of the crank arms, as will be readily understood-bee Fig. 9.

The element 10, with the associated arms turns on bearings 14- carried by the block 15 and the latter is perforated at an angle to. receive the shaft 18 to which it is fixed as by the key 17 A look nut 20 and washer 21 serve for purposes of adjustment.

Since the member 10 is inclined to the shaft, it will beseen' that the connection between it and the-pistonsmust provide for several different motions: first, the blocks 6 must slide radially in and out in respect to the axis of the shaft 18; second, the heads I 8 must turn in said blocks in planes which include said axis; and third, each head must be capable of limited travel relatively to the heads of the adjoining cranks in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the block 14. This latter movement is very necessary since as the disk or element 10 wabbles on the block 1.5, there is a material tendency for the heads 8 to approach and recede from. each other, depending upon the particular phase of this motion in which they maybe at a given time. As heretofore stated, the first mentioned motion takes place between the blocks 6 and the bushings 5, and the turning of the heads 8 in the blocks 6 accommodates the parts to movement of the second mentioned character; while the angular movement of the crank arms about the pivots 12 suffices for motion of the third nature. The result is that stress is transmitted between the pistons and the shaft smoothly and continuously and without inducing undue wear.

It is preferred to inclose the cylinders by a sheet metal jacket 25 the end portions of which are surrounded by retaining bands 26.

The heads linclude the outstanding annular flanges 30 and, together with the cover plates 31 and are held in position by the bolts 3, form valve chambers in which the disk valves 82 are rotatable. The valves are keyed at 33 to sleeves 34 through which the reduced ends of the shaft 18 pass; and the sleeves are mounted in bearings 35 housed between the annular flange 36 on the cover plate 31 and the detachable end plate 38. In order to connect the valves to the shaft 18 so as to be driven thereby in either forward or reverse rotation of the engine, the sleeves 34: are provided with helical grooves 40, Fig. 3, and are received in the tubular shifter members 41, the latter being keyed to the shaft at l2, and provided with inwardly projecting pins 43 (see right hand end of Fig. 2) which enter the corresponding groove 40. When the shifter members are in the position shown, the valves are arranged for forward movement, and when they are moved to the outer limit of their throw, the valves are turned substantially ninety degrees about the axis of the shaft and the engine is thereafter driven on reverse.

Various means may be employed to actuate the shifter members: as shown, they are grooved circumferentially to receive the split rings 45 that carry pins 46 arranged to project into the slots 48 in the lever arms or yokes 49 50; and the latter are pivoted at 5152 on the brackets or standards 53- 54 and are connected to operate in unison by the pins 5556 and link 58. Itwill be 1111-" derstood that the parts are so proportioned as to cause equal angular movement of the valves. Actuating means, such as a link 60, leads to some point convenient to the engineer.

The construction of the valves is subject to wide variation. In the drawings, 6l indicates the inlet pipes through which the steam is admitted to the annular grooves 62 in all positions of the engine, and from the grooves it is distributed to the various cylinders-say to three at a time, in the eight cylinder device by the arcuate ports 63. The exhaust steam or fluid is thereafter exhausted or discharged through the areaate ports 6%, the space or pockets 65, and

the pipes (56. Corresponding ports at the device may be used as a compressor. in which case steam would be admitted only to the cylinders at the opposite end. It is also clear that the arrangement of spider and pistons is adaptable to internal combustion and rotary engines. I do not, therefore, wish to be limited except-as indicated by the subjoined claims.

I claim 1. In combination, a rotatable shaft, a plurality of cylinders parallel thereto and spaced about said shaft, pistons reciprocablc in the cylinders, a block through which the shaft passes, said block being constrained to turn with the shaft and having an axis inclined to that of the shaft, a spider construction mounted on the block within which the block rotates, said spider construction including arms, one corresponding to each cylinder, projecting radially about the axis of the block and each swingable slightly about lines parallel to said last named axis and spaced therefrom, means for limiting the movements of said arms and means for connecting the outer ends of the arms to the corresponding pistons,

2. In combination, a shaft, a plurality of cylinders parallel thereto and spaced about said shaft, said cylinders and said shaft constituting two elements one of which is retatable in respect to the other, pistons reciprocable in the cylinders, a block through which the shaft passes, said block having an axis inclined at an acute angle to that of the shaft, a spider construction mounted on the'block, said block and said spider construction being free for relative angular movement about the axis of the block, said spider construction. including arms connecting with corresponding pistons and individually swingable about lines parallel to and spaced from the axis of the block, there being abutment means corresponding to each of the arms and cooperating therewith to limit said swinging movement, the parts being so constructed and arranged that the arms are prevented from swinging angularly in reference to, the rest of the spider construction in planes which include the axis of the shaft.

3. Means for transmitting torque between a plurality of parallel pistons and a shaft about which they are spaced and to which they are parallel, said means including a wabbling spider having a body and a plurality of arms pivoted thereto to swing slightly about axes parallel to that of the spider, each of, said arms having portions arranged to engage the next adjacent arms to limit said slight swinging movements.

4. In mechanism of the class described, a rotatable shaft, a plurality of cylinders parallel thereto and spaced about the axis thereof, and means for translating the reciprocating movement of the pistons into a rotative movement of the shaft or vice versa, said means including a block carried by the shaft and having an axis at an angle thereto, and a wabbling spider through which the block passes and in respect to which said block is rotatable, the spider having arms all of which are swingable, to a slight degree only,

toward and from each other in a plane at right angles to the axis of the block only and means for preventing the arms from swinging through more than a small predetermined angle.

,5. In mechanism having a plurality of parallel cylinders and a shaft about which said cylinders are equally spaced, and to which they are parallel, together with pistons reciprocable in said cylinders, means for transmitting working stresses between the pistons and the shaft, said means including a block rotatable with the shaft and having an axis inclined in respect thereto, an annular element in which the block turns, said block including means for holding the element at a fixed angle to the axis of the shaft, the element havin an external oircumferential groove, an a plurality of arms, one corresponding to each cylinder, supported by said member and swingable toward and from each other in the plane of said groove, said arms being so constructed and arranged as to mutually limit their said swinging movements.

6. Means for transmitting torque between a plurality of parallel pistons and an engine shaft about which they are spaced and to which they are parallel, said means including an annular member having an external 7 circumferential groove and a plurality of arms, one corresponding to each piston, supported by said member and all swingabl'e to a limited extent toward and from the ad joining arms in the plane of said groove.

7. Means for transmitting torque between a plurality of parallel pistons and a shaft parallel to and between the pistons, said means including a wabbling spider having a body and an arm for each piston pivoted to said body on axes parallel to that of the spider, and means to prevent the arms from swinging on their pivots through more than a limited angle.

EDGAR U. G. REAGAN. 

